Do you think before you post?

Have you ever really wanted to say something on the internet and then stopped and thought..."Wait, my cousin can read this...." I'm sure we've all been there. We want to say something on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or wherever, and you just can't because a family member, a friend, or a co-worker may see it.

I hate it. I seriously do. I'm a venter. I do NOT keep things inside and normally my blog is the place I turn to in order to just let it all out. I don't feel like it is wrong but I do feel like it can be seen as wrong. I mean we've all heard the horror stories of people getting fired (or sometimes not hired), family members not talking to each other any longer, or long time friends throwing a friendship away based on something posted on the internet.

I've been there. Well, I was never fired but I did start an anonymous blog about a year and a half ago because I needed to vent and I knew that one of my co-workers stalked my blog, twitter, and facebook in order to email my boss anytime I'd refer to her. My co-worker was obviously extremely intimidated by me and then I just got fed up of hiding behind an anonymous blog. It's not who I am. I got rid of that blog and just said "Fuck it". If someone gets offended by what I say then too damn bad for them. It's not like I write something online and never own up to it. Anything I write online I can, will, and probably have said to their face.

So what brings this up? I had a dream last night and it was very odd. I had a dream that George and I were celebrating some kind of event. It was probably Demi's baptism but I have no idea since that part wasn't in the dream. Anyway, people give envelope gifts (cash!) at these types of events so it was the next morning and George and I were opening the envelopes. I opened an envelope from my God brother Bobby. It was a big fold out card and he had written a lot in the card. He wrote, 1st Congratulations. The next fold had a 2nd and then it had small writing on it. I remember in my dream I brought the card closer to me so I could read it and it said something about "the chaos the internet caused". Then George woke me up. I didn't get to read any more and I was very upset. I got woken up from something interesting that didn't feature Paul Walker.

So when I woke up from bed I tried to think of why would Bobby write something like that in a card. Then I thought about it. I totally bashed his mom on my Facebook last year around my baby shower. I didn't invite my God mother, the lady who baptized me, to my baby shower. I felt (and still feel) like that relationship is dead in the water and we only invite each other to events out of "obligation" and not because we want to. Actually, wait, no, she doesn't invite me, my mom MADE me invite her. My mom made me invite my god parents to my engagement, wedding shower, and wedding. My god mother did NOT invite me to her sons' (both sons) engagements, wedding showers for their brides, baptism for one grandchild, but invited me to both weddings. Like seriously?

Why would you invite me to the wedding but none of the events leading up to it? Why would you NOT invite me but you invite all your other god children? I'll tell you why. Our relationship is very strained. I moved away when I was 4. She didn't see me again until I was 14. I moved back when I was 18. We saw each other in the beginning a lot and then I moved out of my aunt's house and I never saw my god mother again unless it was a special occasion. I got sick of it. I don't want them to come because they feel they HAVE to and I don't want to be invited because they HAVE to invite me. So I made a decision and told my mom that I would NOT be inviting my god mother to my baby shower nor would I be inviting their family to Demi's baptism. The last event that I would attend for them would be Bobby's wedding.

My God mother bought me a gift for Demi. She knew she wasn't invited to the baby shower because my aunt and uncle are some how related to her. What does she do? She goes and buys D an outfit (A Christmas dress for a 3 month old (D was set to be born in April), a snow suit for a 3 month old (again baby was born in April), and some ugly shoes. The whole thing must have cost $12 from the Wal-Mart post Christmas sale ( baby shower was in February). She doesn't bring the gift to me. She takes it to my sister's work and asks my sister to bring it to me. Seriously? How fucking ghetto are you? She writes a card and in that card she writes that she is very sorry that we have lost touch over the years but it's my fault. So wait, are you giving me a gift solely to find a way to turn the situation around and make me at fault?

My mom kept on urging me to call my god mother and thank her very much for the gift. I told her that I would be sending a thank you card to her like I am for everyone else who attended the baby shower. But my thank you card isn't a generic "thank you". I always write "thank you for the _______ I'm sure Demi will enjoy it when _____" or something to that extent.

My thank you to my God mother was a bit harsh. I thanked her for the gift and then continued to tell her that blaming me for her errors was tacky. I told her that after my engagement I sent her a thank you card telling her how thankful I was for the thoughtful gift she got me and how we've lost touch and should get together for dinner or coffee one day. I left my cell number and said to call when she is ready. She never called. I said "Fuck it". In the card I told her she was to blame and that after her son's wedding we could consider it the end of the relationship. I also told her how I was holding back/being nice in my card out of respect for my parents. She did not congratulate me on the birth of my daughter at her son's wedding and she barely acknowledged my being there. It was great. It made ending the relationship even easier.

So then I started thinking this morning. Do I really trash people that badly on the internet that it causes chaos in their lives? Yeah I do...BUT...lets be honest here. I do NOT write anything on my blog that I haven't already said to their face. Sure I called my god mother a bitch on Facebook. I basically wrote the exact same thing in the card I sent her only I worded it more nice. I've posted about how my co-worker can drive me up the wall and back and called her out on her lies BUT I have discussed the issue with my boss and let him know how I feel about her and the situation. I've called the co-worker a liar to my boss and he's confronted her on it. I've called out my cousin for not sharing holidays on my blog and YES I've told her how I think its very selfish of her and how I hated it and would not go to her home until she learns to share (guess what this year she shared).

You always hear people talk tough on twitter and on their blogs. I may talk tough but I do back it up and I'll always say it to your face.

So my advice to you, before blogging, tweeting, or updating your status about your friends, family, and co-workers, be sure that you can own up to it if ever confronted. If you can't then think twice before hitting submit!

Jealousy & Hypocrisy

So here I am blogging again. That makes twice in one week. I am patting myself on the back and I think you should all give me a high five. I don't think I've EVER done that....at least not since Demi was born.

So my last blog post got some people worked up. There wasn't much action in terms of comments on the blogs but the feedback on Twitter was overwhelming. (That is a great thing). Apparently I was not the only Tweeter/Blogger to get annoyed by BMM. One of BMM's friends, mignons, lovers, admirers, asshole lickers was very quick to attack on twitter while NOT saying it to me.

BirthBabiesBitch (BBB) was making passive aggressive comments on Twitter regarding my blog but apparently didn't have the balls to address her comments or concerns directly to me. Now seeing as how I unfollowed her I had her tweets brought to my attention from other people who think she is as dumb as I KNOW she is.

Her snide comments were along the lines of "I love how jealous people trying to slam popular bloggers to get attention to their blog" "Some people are just so jealous of other bloggers success" Once I saw those tweets I replied directly to BBB telling her that I'm NOT jealous. What do I care if someone has 203478023948203942 sponsors? Does this look like a blog that is actively looking for sponsors? Does my writing scream "Please let me pimp out your products and I'll write great things about it?" Uh no. This is a venting blog, a personal blog, MY BLOG. I don't want sponsors, I don't want people paying me to write about their products by either giving me advertising money or free products, I don't want to feel like my blog is a job.

So apparently I was just blogging about BMM in order to get attention to my blog. Seriously? Before the post I wrote earlier in the week my last blog was written in September. Two freaking months ago...three now that we hit December. Do you really think I'm trying to up my follower count? Do you really think that was my purpose? If you do then you really are a stupid cu- Oh wait, I'd call you a cunt but you really don't have the depth of the warmth.....

Then I got called a hypocrite because I wrote on Twitter that my blog hits had gotten really high off of one post. BBB writes (again not to me) something along the lines of "I like how people who slam popular bloggers in one tweet talk about their blog hits in the next. Hypocrite". Really? I'm a hypocrite? Really? Me?! I'm not allowed to be shocked at the number of people who read that blog? I'm not allowed to comment on it? I wonder if BBB has ever heard of cause and effect? But really, me? A hypocrite?

Isn't a hypocrite someone who says they won't do something and then they do it? Like, "Oh my god. I believe every woman should fight till her dying breath for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) and then they schedule a c-section". I'm fairly certain that falls under the category of hypocrite. Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against c-sections. I'm not an "vist" of any kind (lactavist, VBACvist, Intactivist). I believe everyone should do what is best for their family and their current situation but I HATE when people are like "No....so many c-sections in this country are done for no medical reason what so ever. More women should fight for their right to have a VBAC. They need to find doctors willing to support their decision yadda yadda yadda. And what do they do next? They decide to schedule a c-section because "well my case is a medical case". Um are you sure? You can't try? You preach to everyone about at least TRYING a VBAC yet you schedule a c-section months in advance of your due date! Oh but I forgot. I'm a hypocrite! Whatever.

BBB has also called me an internet thug, or trying to act all hard behind a computer screen. I just have one thing to tell her and all of you. THIS IS ME. I'm exactly the same way in real life. I have a big mouth and if it pops into my head you'll hear about it. I'm not afraid to say what I feel. My blog is named Giftedly-Outspoken for a reason. I'm outspoken. My mother always taught me to speak my mind (although I'm sure she hoped I'd be more tactful). My grade 9 Physical Science teacher wrote in year book that my openness and honesty was refreshing but sometimes I'd look better if I held my tongue. After I read that I opened my mouth, grabbed my tongue and started talking to her. I let go of my tongue and I told her "I guess you're wrong. Holding my tongue isn't a good look for me."

I'm not an internet thug, I'm not a bully, and I'm not acting hard. This is just who I am. If you don't like it I invite you to unfollow the blog, unfollow me on twitter, or click the X in the upper right hand corner of your computer screen.

'Til next time!